1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a package for optical communication such as a module for optical transmission and reception, and more particularly to a package with a locking mechanism which is attached to a cage in an exchangeable manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
A package for optical communication is located between an optical fiber and communication equipment. Such package functions to convert optical signals received through an optical fiber into electrical signals and transmits the electrical signals converted to a side of communication equipment, or to convert electrical signals from communication equipment into optical signals and transmits the optical signals converted to the side of the optical fiber. The package is detachable with respect to an optical fiber and communication equipment for the replacement thereof so as to cope with possible troubles in optical elements or electric elements inside the package or to match specifications for communication (optical wavelength, modulation system, communication speed and the like) with that of the parties to be communicated.
A package 40 shown in FIG. 1 is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,439,918 B1 (see FIG. 1, FIG. 3B, and FIG. 4). The package 40 has a socket port (not shown) for inserting into and removing from an optical fiber connector (not shown) and composed of a package main body 42 to be inserted into a cage 41 in an insertable manner, a lever 43 attached swingably to the package main body 42, a locking section 44 provided with one end of the lever 43 and coming in and out to a side of the cage 41, and an operation lever 45 for swing the lever 43 disposed rotatably on the package main body 42.
The operation lever 45 is constituted to contain an engagement member 46 extending diametrically from a revolving center to be engaged with a side of the other end of the lever member 43 and in such that the engagement member 46 pushes the side of the other end of the lever 43 by rotating the engagement member, whereby the locking section 44 is allowed to retract to a side of the package main body 42.
It is to be noted that a dimensional standard of the cage 41 (a dimension, and a position of latch for engagement with the locking section 44) is specified in a standard common in respective makers.
In the meantime, the packages 40 are disposed vertically in multiple stages close to communication equipment (not shown) so as to be capable of wiring integrally optical fibers. In such a case, since the operation lever 45 is arranged to be dislocked by pulling a pull tab 47 disposed at a prescribed position. Accordingly, sometimes it is hard to pull the handle 47 due to a layout and the like of components in a package, resulting in difficulty for dislocking the package. In this respect, a “back to back” wiring manner wherein packages 40 are mounted invertedly with a back to back relationship is proposed to improve operationality in dislocking a package. In this case, however, optical fiber connectors must be also invertedly wired, so that there is a problem of making wiring work more difficult.